Disney+’s $650 Million Cyberpunk Series Is The Best Sci-Fi Show Of The Decade

Published Oct 8, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Disney+ has a cyberpunk show that cost $650 million to make, but every penny was worth it to produce the best science fiction series of the entire decade. Disney+ has long been one of the premiere destinations for sci-fi television and movies. Between the entire catalog of MCU movies, every Star Wars movie, and other massive franchises like Alien, The X-Files, and Predator, some of the best shows on Disney+ are science fiction shows. For all the great sci-fi offerings Disney+ has, however, the streamer hasn't been great about cyberpunk. Some of the most notable cyberpunk projects in years, like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Altered Carbon, belong to other streamers like Netflix. On top of that, most of the upcoming cyberpunk shows in production, like Blade Runner 2099 and Neuromancer, belong to Prime Video and Apple TV. Disney+ has, however, dipped its toes into cyberpunk. Most recently, Alien: Earth leaned into cyberpunk, and it's been renewed for a second season. While Disney+ doesn't have a huge catalog of cyberpunk offerings, it has one of the subgenre's best entries of all time, and arguably the best science fiction show in general of the entire decade. Andor, a Star Wars show, is a modern masterpiece that goes far beyond its franchise. Andor Brought Cyberpunk To Star Wars MovieStillsDB While Star Wars is far from a cyberpunk franchise like Blade Runner or RoboCop, Andor is definitively cyberpunk in nature. It doesn't have the transhumanist themes of many other cyberpunk staples, but Andor perfectly captures the most important aspect of the genre: the saying "high-tech, low life." The show focuses on the spies and information brokers of the Rebel Alliance and the Empire's ISB, a secret police organization, hunting one another. Because it's so interested in the Rebellion, Andor dedicates a lot of time to showing the Empire's many atrocities, like the Ghorman massacre. The Empire is in league with massive corporations in the first season, which gives Andor a chance to deliver many of the anti-capitalist messages cyberpunk is known for. Because it's Star Wars, the show highlights impressive technology like spaceships, futuristic prisons, and grimy cityscapes, all of which lend themselves to the "high-tech" part of cyberpunk's mantra. Most importantly, Andor perfectly captures the tone of cyberpunk, something Star Wars never dared to do before. Andor is unabashedly mature, dark, serious, and tense. The show highlights some of the horrors of fascism, of corporate greed and overreach, and it's distinctly dystopian in nature. Cyberpunk, as a subgenre, is depressing. Andor is built on hope, but it offers just as bleak a glimpse into the future as Blade Runner or Altered Carbon. Andor Is A Must-Watch Show For All Sci-Fi Fans, Not Just Star Wars Fans The true beauty of Andor, however, is the fact that it's so much more than "cyberpunk Star Wars." In fact, Andor is a show that any fan of science fiction should watch, regardless of their interest in or knowledge of Star Wars at large. While having an existing interest in the franchise adds layers to the show, Andor also works completely on its own. For example, longtime fans will know a lot of information about Mon Mothma, but Andor also tells viewers everything they need to know about her in the show itself. Upcoming Star Wars Movies & Shows Title Release Date Ahsoka Season 2 January 20, 2027 Star Wars: Starfighter May 28, 2027 Maul - Shadow Lord Season 2 TBA New Jedi Order TBA Simon Kinberg's Trilogy TBA Dawn of the Jedi TBA Star Wars: Visions Season 4 TBA Andor's ability to stand on its own without getting bogged down by Star Wars' expansive lore is a great thing, too, because it has such a universal appeal. Cyberpunk fans will love its mature tone, visuals, and themes. General sci-fi fans will love the gadgets, the sweeping scope of its space opera story, and more. Political thriller fans will love the show's deep-dive into fascism and rebellion, along with its masterful tension and suspense. Andor is a nearly perfect version of so many great genres. The main reason every sci-fi fan should watch Andor, however, is because it's an utterly fantastic show. It's beautifully moving, horrifically tragic, elegantly made, and endlessly poignant and timeless. Andor fires on all cylinders for every single second of its two-season run. The characters feel lifelike and well-developed, the writing is some of the best in any political thriller ever, and the emotions are turned up to 11. I write for a living, and I don't have the words to properly express what this show means to me. Andor is a masterpiece, there's no other way to put it. Don't let the fact that it's Star Wars stop you from experiencing this work of art for yourself. Release Date 2022 - 2025-00-00 Network Disney+ Showrunner Tony Gilroy Directors Susanna White Writers Dan Gilroy Franchise(s) Star Wars Creator(s) Tony Gilroy